Latch hinge construction



0. MUELLER Jan. 30, 1940.

LATCH HINGE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR Mae ZZer:

Jan. 30, 1940; o. MUELLER 2,188,393

LATCH HINGE CONSTRUCTION Fi1 ed on. 2a, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 02 2 0 WaeZZez? Patented Jan. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,188,893 m'rcn H'INGE CONSTRUCTION Application October 28, 1938, Serial No. 237,408

2 Claims.

My invention relates to hinges, and particularly to a hinge of the latch type which retains a door in open position.

Various means have been employed heretofore to retain doors, such as those for garages, in open position, including hooks and latches which are manually actuated. Such elements are usually employed as separate independent devices which are operated manually to retain the door open.

In practicing my invention, I utilize latching means mounted directly on the hinge which functions when the door is open to latch it against a closing movement and which functions upon further movement of the door beyond such latched position to permit the door to be closed. The hinge is so constructed as to have both of the hinge wings in direct alignment on the outside of the door and jamb or may be reversed to have one wing of the hinge attached to the inner face of the jamb while the other extends across the outer face of the door. The latching mechanism is so constructed as to function in either position of the hinge wings when latching or releasing the door.

Accordingly, the main objects of my invention are to provide a hinge for a door having thereon means for latching the door in open position; to provide a hinge with latching means which is capable of holding the door in open position when the wings are disposed in extension of, or at right angles to, each other; to provide a hinge for a door having latching means for retaining the door in open position and which is released when 'the door is moved beyond such position to permit the door to be closed; to provide a hinge with an arm having a detent thereon which is engaged by a vertically swinging latch to retain the hinge in door-open position, which latch is released from the detent when the hinge is moved beyond latched position to permit the hinge to return to its original position; and, in general, to provide a hinge of the latch type which is rigid in construction, positive in operation and economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of my invention will be either specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of my invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front view of a hinge embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the hinge illustrated in Figure 1, as viewed from line 2-2 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a reduced top view of the hinge illustrated in Figure 2, with the door in open-latched position;

Fig. 4 1s an enlarged broken view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3 as viewed from line l4 thereof; 5

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 5-5 thereof;

Fig. 6 .is anenlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Figure 1, taken on the line 10 6-6 thereof;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1 taken on the line thereof;

Fig. 8 is a view of structure, similar to that 15 illustrated in Fig. 3, with the hinge wing in reverse position; and I I Fig. 9 is a view of structure similar to that illustrated in Fig. 4 showing a. modified form thereof. 20

I have illustrated in Fig. 1, a hinge I0, comprising a door wing l I and a jamb wing I2 joined by a pintle i3. The hinge wings are retained in position by suitable screws or bolts M which extend through apertures in the wing portions. 2 The jamb wing I2 is provided with a-bracket l5 which is retained on the wing by suitable screws l6 secured in threaded apertures thereof. The bracket has pivoted thereto, by a pin l8, a latch arm II, on the opposite'end of which a detent I9 30 extends beyond the face of-a housing 2|. The housing is provided with a slot 22 in which the arm I1 is slideable.

The arm has a U-shaped guide 23 secured thereon adjacent to the detent l9, by a pin 24. 35 The ends of the U-shaped guide 23 are flanged outwardly at 25 to provide guide means conforming to the shape of housing 2|. The forward flanges 25 engage a spring 26 contained in the end of the housing opposite to that through 40 which the arm IT projects. The housing carries a latch 21 mounted on a shouldered rivet 28 upon which it is freely'swingable. A rabbet 29 is provided in the latch which engages the detent l9 and locks the arm relative to the housing 2| 45 and retains the door wing H in fixed relation to the jamb wing I2.

The bracket l5 comprises spaced members of angle shape forming supporting legs 3| and outwardly extending portions 32 which are inter- 50 connected by a web 33 to form a unit construction. The outwardly extending portions 32 are provided with apertures through which the pintle 13 extends and which forms bearings for the cylindrical portions 35 of the wing ll. Washers 55 86 are provided between the cylindrical portions 35 of the wing it and the cylindrical portions 31 of the wing l2. A stop element 38 extends from the portions 32 to engage the wing [2 to retain it at 90 to the bracket 15 when the wing is reversed as illustrated in Fig. 8.

When opening the door having a hinge l thereon, the hinge wing II and the arm I I will move into the position illustrated in solid lines in Figure 3. The latch 21 will berevolved in a counter-clockwise direction by the detent I9 as it moves into position to be received by the rabbet 29 thereof, and when the door is released it will be latched in open position. The flanges 25 of the guide element 23 during the door-opening movement compresses the spring 26 which, upon the release of the door, will urge the detent l9 against the latch, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The door will be latched open until it is moved beyond such latched position to a position illustrated in dot-and-dash lines in Figure 3. In such position, the detent l9 has been moved beyond the latch 21 which returns to the position illustrated in Fig. 1. As the dee is moved toward closed position, the detent l2 moves the latch 21 in a clockwise direction as it advances in the slot 22 toward the open end of the housing 2|, permitting the door to be closed. Thereafter the latch 21 will swing in a counter-clockwise direction to its initial position across the slot 22 in position to engage the detent l9 when the door is again opened.

When the hinge Wing I2 is to be placed on the inner face of the jamb, as illustrated in Figure 8, the pintle I3 is removed along with the screws It to release the bracket l5 from the wing l2. The wing i2 is turned end for end and again attached to the wing ll so that the wings will be disposed at a ninety degree angle to each other when the door is closed. The bracket I5 is secured directly to the outer face of the door jamb in substantially the same position relative to the wing II as when mounted on the wing l2. The right angle relation of the wing l2 and the bracket I5 is maintained by the projection provided on the bracket 15. The projection abuts against the plate I2 and retains the plate and bracket at a ninety degree relation to each other. In operation, the latching of the door having a hinge mounted as illustrated in Fig. 8 is effected in the same manner as that described above in relation to the hinge when the wings are disposed in extension of each other. The

greases wing I2 01 the hinge illustrated in Fig. 8 is not only invisible but is also inaccessible when the door is closed.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a modified form of structure wherein the latch 21 is provided with a teat 4i and the housing 2| is extended at 42 and flanged outwardly at 43 to provide a support for a spring 44, the opposite end of which is hooked to the .teat 4| of thelatch. In this arrangement the' spring instead of gravity is depended upon to return the latch in a position to intersect the slot 22 so that the hinge may be attached to a door which opens vertically and still functions in the manner above described.

While I have described and illustrated but two embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions, additions and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination in a hinge, of a pair of hinge wings pivoted together, a bracket on one wing, an arm pivoted to said bracket, which arm has securing means on its opposite end, a housing on said other wing having a slot therein for receiving the said end of the arm, a latch pivotally disposed over said slot, said latch having means for engaging the securing means of said arm at a predetermined point in the angular position of said wings for locking the wings in said position, and a spring in said housing for urging said securing means against said latch.

2. The combination in a hinge, of a pair of hinge wings pivoted together, a bracket on one wing, an arm pivoted to said bracket, which arm has securing means on its opposite end, a housing on said other wing having a slot therein for receiving the said. end of the arm, a latch pivotally disposed over said slot, said latch having a notch for engaging the securing means of said arm at a predetermined point in the angular position of said wings for locking the wings in said position, said notch releasing said securing means when said wings are relatively moved a predetermined amount beyond said angular position to permit the wings to assume their original position, and a spring in said housing for urging said securing means against said latch.

OTTO MUELLER. 

